Warning of new Woolworths change that could alter shopping lists: ‘Control the selection’

A new AI agent that adds items to your basket is coming to Woolworths, promising a new level of convenience for customers. But an expert warns this could quietly “influence” buyers towards higher margin products, raising concerns about transparency.

Woolworths’ AI chatbot Olive is about to get a major upgrade and will soon be able to plan meals, interpret handwritten recipes and fill online shopping baskets with product suggestions.

Consumer experts expect shoppers to flock to the convenient technology, which Woolworths says will make shopping easier and save people time.

Working with Google’s Gemini platform, Woolworths said Olive will become an “intuitive partner” that anticipates customers’ needs, plans meals to suit their tastes and highlights special offers that are important to their budget.

Major U.S. retailers like Walmart and Lowe’s are also adopting the technology as part of Google’s broader efforts to advance agent-based commerce in retail.

Professor Uri Gal from…